Wednesday, October 10, 2012

When ONE.org asked me to help raise awareness about their campaign
to fight chronic malnutrition, using the humble sweet
potato, I had one important question…if I agreed, would I get some kind of tote
bag?

When I was informed there was no tote bag, I decided to
check out their info anyway, and I’m very glad I did. While I was shocked to learn
that millions of children die each year from malnutrition, it was heartening to
learn what a huge difference this delicious “super-food” could make.

To help spread the word, I offer up this colorful, and very
tasty, roasted sweet potato and black bean chili. I really enjoyed this 100%
vegetarian version, and the extra step of roasting the potatoes not only
concentrated the sweet, earthy flavors, but gave the starchy chunks a
marvelously meaty texture.

Anyway, I’m going to sign off so I can go add “Helped Bono fight
childhood malnutrition” to my resume, but I sincerely hope you take a minute and check out
One.org for more information about this sweet potato campaign, as well as sign the nutrition petition. Thank you, and as always, enjoy!

Thanks! I love your blog. Would I be able to roast butternut squash instead of sweet potato? Would it hold up after roasting, like the sweet potato? We've got a bumper crop of butternut squash from our garden - hence the question. Thanks so much!

Until the sour cream, you had a vegan recipe there! (Might be a good link for the homepage.) I'll be making this for my boss and colleague (both vegans) next time they come over. Looks like a righteous chili!

Looks fantastic, Chef John! I have a question about roasting the sweet potato - could I get the same effect if I sauté the potatoes instead? I'm living abroad in South Korea and my kitchenette has NO oven. Times are tough, I'll get by.

Hi Chef John, I'm currently in Saudia Arabia and I searched for ground chipotle powder and ancho chili powder, but I couldn't find any. All I have now is regular "chili powder" and cayenne pepper powder. Can I use these in place of the chilis you used, and if yes, which for which? Thanks!

I used 3 tbsp in mine, and it was perfect. Maybe you got a spicy batch of ancho? I've found it to be a fairly mild chili powder, but I know it can vary between brands. Anyway, maybe I'll change ing. list to 2 to 3 tbsp, or "to taste" to be safe.

I only have Ghiradelli sweetened cocoa. If I omit the sugar in the recipe, can this be used? I know you said unsweetened, but IT'S ALL I HAVE!!!!! Thanks Chef John, I've used a ton of your recipes and always give credit where it's due.

When I saw this recipe it sounded like a great combination and I knew I had to try it. Today was the day! Amazing...the sweetness of the potatoes and onions combined with the earthiness of black beans and the hot chilis made this an instant winner. It was pretty mild as the recipe goes, so I added Arnold...yum!

Awesome! I ground my own chile powder: 2 ancho, 2 chipotle, and 1 guajillo. This turned out to be about 3 Tbsp or so when ground. With 1 large jalapeno, it was perfectly spiced. The smoke from the chipotle really gives it something extra!

I just bought a dutch oven pot after wanting it for so long, and decided to cook this recipe for its maiden performance. This is the first time I ever taste chili. I mistakenly bought normal potato instead of yellow and baked it in a small toaster, used green and yellow bell pepper, chili powder and cayenne. I used red bean instead of black bean and over-simmered.. Nevertheless, everything turns out so great! The spiciness is quite mild but very comforting in the rainy weather. A perfect and healthy dish for my diet, and the sweet potato is just amazingly delicious I also forgot it's vegetarian! Thank you, chef John!

Made this a couple of weekends ago for a friend who was coming up for lunch... It really impressed her and the other 5 people who ended up eating it as well! Thank you so much for this amazing recipe :)

I made this chili about a month ago,and let me tell you it was OUT OF THIS WORLD DELICOUS! I didn't have plain chipotle powder, so I used Lawry's fire roasted chili and garlic seasoning, which has chipoli and roasted paprika in it. It really brought out the flavors in this chili very, very well and gave it a nice and mild smokey flavor. I also accidentally added 1 tbsp of cocoa instead of 1 tsp haha, but it worked out good and I will do the same thing the next time. I added a can of sweet corn as well and made some fresh corn bread muffins to accompany this wonderful dish. It's the best chili I ever had and will definitely make it again and again! Thanks for this wonderful recipe.